Venezuela: Puerto Ayacucho

With support from RAINFOR, during November 2011 and February 2012 four permanent plots of one hectare each were established in forest near Puerto Ayacucho, Amazonas, Venezuela. The team was lead by Prog. Gerardo Aymard (UNELLEZ-Guanare), including José Farreras (UNELLEZ-Guanare), Franklin Molina (Ministery of the Environment), Michael Schwarz (RAINFOR), and a group of Young indigenous men from the Piaroa ethnic group. These forests are found at the transition between the Llanos and the Amazon forest, in a región charaectrised by long perios of seasonal drought and heat. In spite of these climatic conditions, the forest communities here include numerous evergreen species, because of their location at the base of the Galipero-Parguaza and Cuao-Sipapo hills. South of Pto Ayacuhco (Sector Venecia) the forest are found on plains, with ultisol soils of moderately-good drainage, and in some locations have undergone selctive extraction of two Erisma species for their wood. There are emergent tres (30-35m) of Buchenavia parvifolia (“Cumello”), Eschweilera pedicellata, Hymenolobium petreum (“Berraco”) and Erisma uncinatum (“Salado”). North of Puerto Ayacucho the forests grow on oxisols, with poor to adequate drainage. This community is characterized by the presence of emergent trees up to 30m tall, of Parkia pendula, Brosimum utile and Sloanea brevipes. While the family-level floristic compositional patterns mostly coincide with those typical of humid lowland forests here Vochysiaceae is also abundant and dominant.